The invention relates to a new and distinct variety of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) hybrid plant named ‘FLX-1.’ ‘FLX-1’ is a southern highbush blueberry clone distinguished by its low chilling requirement, its vigorous, upright bush and by its very firm sweet berries that ripen from late April through mid-May when grown in north Florida and during may around Bakersfield, Calif. Several hundred plants of ‘FLX-1’ have been propagated by softwood cuttings at Gainesville, Fla., and the resulting plants have all been phenotypically indistinguishable from the original plant.
‘FLX-1’ originated as a seedling from the cross of the proprietary female parent, ‘FL 92-103’ (unpatented) with the male parent, ‘FL 90-163’ (unpatented) which was made as part of the University of Florida breeding program in a greenhouse at Gainesville, Fla. in March, 1992. The seedling was first fruited in a high-density field nursery in the spring of 1994. After the third year of fruiting in the field, in the spring of 1996, ‘FLX-1’ was propagated by softwood cuttings in June, 1996, and a 20-plant test plot was established as part of a variety test in a commercial field at Windsor, Fla. in January, 1997. Because of the vigorous, upright bush and high berry quality, ‘FLX-1’ was re-propagated by softwood cuttings in the summer of 1999, and 190 test plots were planted in a second test plot at the same farm in March 2003. A test planting of rooted cuttings was established in western Oregon and in the San Joaquin Valley of California in 2002. These plots were observed carefully from flowering through fruit ripening each year, and no mutations of off-type plants have been observed. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.